


A Scientific Study of Beca Mitchell's Lovelife by Stacie Conrad (with the assistance of Emily Junk)

by bmcbapej



Series: Bemily Week (2018) [5]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: "Friends With Benefits", Bemily Week, Day 5, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 18:33:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13980951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bmcbapej/pseuds/bmcbapej
Summary: If there’s one thing Stacie likes to know about, it’s relationships. So, when Beca comes creeping in one night, more relaxed than she’d ever seen her all year, she immediately guesses that her captain was doing the do. The question was, with who?





	A Scientific Study of Beca Mitchell's Lovelife by Stacie Conrad (with the assistance of Emily Junk)

**Author's Note:**

> Day 5: Friends With Benefits

If there’s one thing Stacie likes to know about, it’s relationships (and black holes but that’s not relevant right now). She was the second one to know when Beca had broken up with Jesse (and the first one to not need to be told), the first one to know that Amy’s “many hot flings” were in fact just one Bumper Allen, and the only one in the Bella house to recognise Jessica and Ashley’s ‘close friendship’ for what it really was.

So, the first time Beca comes creeping back into the Bella house after acting suspiciously all week, Stacie knows it’s not what it looks like. Sure, the shorter girl was obviously hiding something, but it wasn’t relationship-related. Knowing that Beca would open up when she was ready, Stacie looked the other way. Her assumption is confirmed later when Amy accidentally stumbled upon a Residual Heat staff-pass.

The girls (aside from Chloe who they hadn’t told – fearing another meltdown) have a little fun putting Beca on the spot about her secretive behaviour until it becomes obvious that she’s very stressed out. They collectively decide to let it go and even run interference with their red-headed captain when necessary.

Stacie catches Beca sneaking into the house once again, but this time something is _different._ Her trademark scowl was a little less sharp, her hair a little more tousled, and she looked the most relaxed that Stacie’s seen her in months. A grin broke out on Stacie’s face, Beca was getting some!

“What’s got you so happy?”

“Oh nothing, just thinking about something I learnt today.” Beca looked at her weirdly.

“O-kay then, don’t lose too much sleep on whatever it is. We have rehearsals tomorrow morning.”

Watching Beca ascend the stairs slowly, Stacie mentally added another task onto her to-do list. She was a scientist at heart. A scientist with a _hypothesis_ that she was going to _investigate_.

* * *

The problem with being in your senior year of college is that all the professors assign work as if their classes are the only ones you’re taking. Stacie considers herself to be in the upper half of the IQ curve, but there’s only so many hours in a day for her to accomplish things. This meant prioritizing her academic assignments over her personal ones (she loved Chloe to death but repeating her final year was not something she wanted to emulate).

An opportunity presents itself when Legacy approaches her at the end of one of their rehearsals. Stacie’s not really sure what’s going on with the Bellas right now, the stunts they were practicing might be fun (or terrifying for anyone in a 5-foot radius of Lilly or Emily – for different reasons of course) but there’s a strange lack of music involved considering they were an acapella group.

She feels a little bad for Emily who’s joined them at a time like this. Everyone else has been distracted because it’s (hopefully) their final year and Barden rules dictated that all freshmen had to stay in their designated dorms instead of any club or sorority/fraternity houses. They do try to include her as much as possible but they’re still at an awkward stage.

“Hey Stacie, do you have a minute?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“I was hoping to talk to you about some of the classes you took. I’m thinking of majoring in Psych since I like those so far, but there’s room for a minor. I’m tossing up between something science-y or music-related.” Stacie has an idea.

“Oh, if it’s music you’re into, you should talk to Beca! She’s taken or sat in on pretty much all Barden has to offer in that area if it doesn’t involve playing actual instruments. She’d be able to tell you what’s worth your time and what’s not.”

“Oh well I don’t want to bother h-”

“Don’t worry about it! She doesn’t have anything on right now, you can catch her before she leaves. I just remembered that one of my demonstrators is having a consultation right now and I need to ask him about my project. I’ll talk to you about my units later.”

“Uh sure, okay. Catch you later!” Complicated lab work required research assistants and a freshman like Emily with lots of free time was an excellent candidate (she was also fostering better Bella bonds, so really, she’s doing everyone a favour).

* * *

Stacie does talk to Emily later about those science units (“Wow, this stuff sounds really interesting, but I probably wouldn’t want to be tested on it. Maybe I’ll stick with YouTube.”). She’s finally submitted that beast of a lab report that’s been worrying her (her partner had gone AWOL near the end of it, he was _NOT_ getting a good peer evaluation) and finally has time to really talk to the girl.

They get on like a house on fire and Stacie thinks she might have found herself a new best friend (don’t tell Cynthia-Rose that). Most of the other girls will try to listen to her when she gets off on a science rant, but they all inevitably zone out – Emily on the other hand just stares in awe at how amazing the universe is.

The conversation eventually circles back to Emily’s studies, which is the perfect opening to ask about Beca. “So did you ask Beca about those music units?”

“Oh yeah! She’s like, a fountain of knowledge. She showed me some of the stuff she’s done, and I think I’d really like it. I’ve switched my classes around next semester just so I could take some of the stuff she recommended.”

“See, I told you she wouldn’t be bothered by you. She’s really into music. All the Bellas are, but she’s next level about it.”

“I get what you mean, we talked for hours and there was still so much we didn’t get to touch on. I’m meeting her for ice-cream tomorrow, so we can talk more.” Ice-cream? Everyone in the Bella house knew she preferred frozen yoghurt (“Fro-yo is the superior dairy and anyone who disagrees with me is a heathen and doing extra laps of cardio tomorrow.”). She wonders what’s made Beca change her mind about it. Or rather, _who’s_ changed her mind.

“Ooh, are you going to ‘ _What’s the Scoop’_?”

“Nah, ‘ _Dairy Godmother_ ’. It’s my favourite place on campus.”

* * *

Stacie postulates whether the apocalypse is coming. She’s been neglecting her 6am runs in favour of staying up late reading research articles lately, but after the sheer amount of junk food consumed yesterday during a Bellas' Night, she wants to make sure she maintains her figure. Ordinarily she’d be the only one awake this early if no one else had a morning class. Which is why she’s shocked to see _the_ Beca Mitchell in the kitchen when she returns. A _functioning_ Beca Mitchell and not a Mr-Grumps-Why-Did-You-Wake-Me-Up-At-11AM Beca Mitchell.

“What are you doing up so early?” Both of her captains have been weird lately but this, _this_ was cause for concern.

“Making breakfast?” The stare she’s being given makes her feel as if she’s just asked a self-evident question.

“You don’t even _eat_ breakfast, why would you be _making_ it.” Surely Beca knows just how absurd she’s being right now.

“You all keep harping on that it’s the most important meal of the day and suddenly you’re telling me that I shouldn’t be having it?” Defensive Beca was a classic sign that she was hiding something. If Stacie didn’t have to be at her seminar in 30 minutes she would have pressed the issue further.

After a quick shower and change of clothes, she ready to go. Catching sight of Emily (who had stayed the night in Amy’s bed after she had made some flimsy excuse to meet up with Bumper) eating pancakes on the kitchen island, she prays that the girl had managed to find out what the hell Beca was doing.

She doesn’t offer much insight (“I don’t know, I woke up to the smell of pancakes. I should ask her for the recipe, my mum makes choc-chip pancakes all the time, but these ones tasted better.”). Someone was bringing out the domestic side of Beca and Stacie really wanted to find out who. Either the sex was so amazing that Beca felt the need to compensate, or there were feelings involved.

* * *

It’s frustrating because she knows she can’t just tell Emily about her suspicions, the girl looked like a terrible actress. If she could, this mystery would have been solved ages ago. Emily and Beca have been spending so much time together that for a moment Stacie almost believed that Emily knew who Beca had been seeing and was simply sworn to secrecy. That was until Emily let slip that Beca had directly told her about the internship. Like she said, terrible actress.

Asking Chloe was out of the question, all the Bellas have been walking on egg-shells around her. She hopes the upcoming retreat trip manages to calm down the crazy.

* * *

The trip to the Lodge starts off horrendously but in the end they come together. It reminds Stacie of her freshman year, right after the whole debacle inside the auditorium. They all learn a little more about each other that night. Beca comes clean about the internship and how she’s having problems creatively (that explained the stress) but says nothing about any new relationships. Stacie starts to wonder if maybe she’s just missed the mark this time.

* * *

Her suspicions come back full force when she hears laughter from out on the porch one night. While Beca was capable of expressing positive emotions, the sheer unrestrained joy coming out of that bellow was completely new. Stacie races to the windows and nudges the curtains open to see… _Emily?!_

She stares, stunned at the scene in front of her. They playfully push each other as they discuss something quietly. As the conversation draws to an end, the two girls hug and Beca stands there as she watches Emily leave. It’s an intimate moment, but Stacie knows for sure that they’re not actually dating (assumptions aside, she’d also like to think that Emily would be comfortable enough to tell her if they were).

Stacie likes to be right, but she has no issues with being wrong. It’s the nature of science: you draw conclusions from the evidence until you find something that contradicts, then you draw new conclusions.

Beca wasn’t seeing anyone, she had just made a new friend. Actually, friend might not be the right word. The Bellas were all her friends but she had never once looked at any of them in the same way. She had found a friend with something more. A friend with benefits?

And while they might not be dating now, who’s to say how the situation would unfold. It’s something to keep an eye on, after all, longitudinal studies were a part of science as well.

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt and tomorrow's were the ones I had no idea what to do for. Considering how I bent the earlier themes a little to suit the story, I did the same with this one. Canonically I don't really see Beca and Emily having a true FWB scenario. In an AU with different circumstances and character development it could happen. But I really can't churn out something like that in a few hours so I came out with this interpretation instead. I probably won't have a post for tomorrow's prompt due to a combination of commitments and lack of inspiration so I'll see you guys on Saturday for Day 7!


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